Wire-fence tool.



H. LYNCH. WIRE FENCE TOOL. APPLICATION FILED T11R18, 1910.

Patented Nov. 19, 19 12 UNITED srA'rns PATENT ()FFICE.

HENRY LYNCH, OF LIDGERWOOD, NORTH DAKOTA.

WIRE-FENCE TOOL.

specification of Letters Patent. Pat t Nmn 19, 1912 Application filed February 18, 1910. Serial No. 544,561

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LYNCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lidger wood, in the county of Itichland and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vire-Fence 'tIools, of which the following'is a specifica- -1on.

This invention relates to improvements in wire fence tools, and more particularly to atool adapted to repairbroken wires in fences and at the same time take up slack in the wire being repaired.

. The object of my invention is to provide a tool'oi this character that is simple in construction and cheap of manufacture adapted to unite the ends of broken wire; also to take up slack in wires not broken by forming kinks therein.

.-- -The invention consists of a tool made of a single pieceof steel, having at one .end an angular tapering tang, and at the other end a cylindrical coiling mandrel having an open longitudinal slot approximately its entirelength, whereby a wire with a fre end, or any continuous length of wire, may:be readily-engaged and wound or coiled on the mandrel to form coils which may be then wound upon the straight portion of the wire in a fence.

By providing a long open-ended slot in a coiling mandrel the end of a wire, which may be bent, may be more readily engaged than it could be by a tool having a transverse hole, in which the end of a wire must be inserted; also a continuous slack wire may be engaged for winding on the coiling mandrel, as could not be done with a tool having only a transverse aperture as heretofore proposed.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views; Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved fence tool. Fig. 2- is aperspective View of the tool as in use, repairing a broken wire, in connection with an ordinary chestbrace.- Fig. 3 shows the wires united. Fig. 4 is an elevation of another form of fence tool.

Referring to the drawings, the end of my fence tool is made square and tapering, similar to the end of the usual bit that is adapted to be used with an ordinary brace. The other end of the tool is made with a cylindrical coiling mandrel 2 rounded OK or pointed at the extremity. The said coiling mandrel is of equal diameter for a suitable distance, approximately two inches, and has formed therein an open longitudinal slot -3, which extends nearly its entire length. The Intermediate portion 4, of the tool is cylindrical in form and'reduced in size as compared with the slotted mandrel.

In operation my tool is intended to be used in connection with an ordinary chest-brace A and in mending a broken wire the operation is as follows: In one end of'the wire a loop w is formed, by any suitable means, large enough to receive the other end of the wire to be mended, which is passed throughsaid loop and its end placed in the 'onteren'd of slot 3 in the coiling mandrel 2 and the mandrel is then made to bear on the loop the left hand of the operator, the crank portion rotated with the righthand in the usual manner, and the slack wire 3 drawn through the loop and wound around the slotted part of the mandrel, forming a coil '2 until all the slack is taken up, the tool being held in such a position on the loop as as to cause the tension. broughttq bear upon tlie wire 3 being \voundthereon to be transmitted to the looped portion a: as indicated in Fig. 2. The tool is-then, preferably, removed from the brace and passed around the straight part of the wire y, the coil 2 being bent back adjagradually unwinding the coil frmnarmind the tool and-winding it upon the straight part 3 Fig. 3, to prevent its witl'ldrawal from the loop. v

If there is not sufficient lap to the ends of the broken wires to be brought together. the tool can be connected with one of the wires and operated to draw up the slack, which is removed from the tool, and the operation then carried out as previously described. It will be seen that in mending a wire by this method the slack is taken up on both sides of the break and the wires a considerable distance.

In taking up slack in' unbroken wires, the wire at any point is placed in the slot of the the usual manner, which operation winds the wire in double strands around the mandrel. When the slack is taken up the tool is twistedaround the straight portion of the wire several times, to lock the kink or coil :0. The handle of the brace is held in' cent to the loop on wire y, at the same time made taut all along the line, or at least for tool, and the crank of the brace operated in are then bent 'around the mandrel to prevent their withdrawal, and the tool rotated in the usual manner; The slack is thus wound around th mandrel from both directions at the same time. VVh'en the wire iss'ufiiciently tight the tool is twisted around the straightportions of wire several times, thereby winding the coil around the same to lock the kink and revent itslbecoming loose, and the tool is tlien withdrawn from connection with the wire.

Fig. 4 illustrates another form of my invention, in which the inner end of the mandrel 2 is prov' ed with a circumferential flange 5,.ha-vin' a vertical face toward the slotted end an tapering toward the opposite end. The purpose of this flange is to keep the wire being wound on the mandrel from sliding back on the part 4 of the tool. A further variation consists in making the slot 3, with walls eonvergin'g toward the center of the mandrel to. approximately a point at its inner end, and having formed therein transverse teeth "6, extending the entire length of the slot; which teeth tend to prevent the wire slipping from the slot.

In winding the wire on the coilin mandrel, the end being engaged in the sot, the

, coiled part crosses the slot and forces the two halves of the mandrel into contact with said end in the slot, thereby tightly gripping and holding the same, as in, a vise. The slot with rearwardly converging walls, Fig. 4, provides for engaging wires of different gage, and the transverse teeth better hold the engaged wire from slipping sidewise. Evidently an open-ended longitudinal slot in the coiling mandrel has an advantage "over a transverse aperture, hereto- -fore proposed in this class of tools, inasmuch as it permits a wire, which may be bent or kinked at the end,- to be readily .engaged,'as could not bedone with a tool havlng only a transverse aperture, into which the'end of a wire must bejinserted. A con tinuous slack wire may also be readily engaged in the open-ended slot for winding on the coiling mandrel to take up the slack, which operation would be impossible with the above mentioned aperturedtool.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Stafes: v A wire fence tool having at one etl an angular and tapering tang, and at the 'ther end a cylindrical coiling mandrel flanged at its inner end and havin' a longitudinal open toothed slot with wa s convergin'g to ward the. center and inner end thereof, sub stantially as described.

In testimony ture in presence of two witnesses. A

'. 4 HENRY LYNCH.

Witnesses: 1

W. -I. IRvINn, W.'S WoiIrE.

whereof I afiix my signzi- 

